Since I don’t watch Riverdale – it seems stupid for someone my age? – the only thing I’ve ever seen with KJ Apa is The Hate U Give. He’s really cute! I haven’t seen enough of him to judge his acting skillz, but if I was a Gen Z youth, I would be into him. He has a watchable quality, he’s tall and handsome without being too pretty. He’s from New Zealand, and he’s ethnically half-white/Euro, half-Samoan. Anyway, KJ has an interview in Interview Magazine where he talks about playing Archie and honestly? He just sounds burned out with the schedule of trying to film a TV show during a pandemic. But wow, he says some kind of tone-deaf things.
Working on Riverdale: “I’m in Vancouver. I just touched down yesterday for my quarantine before we shoot the second half of season five of Riverdale. It’s a little daunting, but I’m grateful to be working during this crazy time.
Working on ‘Songbird’ during lockdown: “I felt so free coming from a show where I feel like I’m in jail a lot of the time. There are so many restrictions on what I can and can’t do. With this character, it was like, “Wow, this is what it’s like to really express myself in a natural way.” I wasn’t covered in makeup or hair products. I had long hair and a beard. I just felt free.
The baggage of success: “There’s been so much pressure in playing Archie. I’m so grateful for the show and its success, but at the same time, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with that success. I feel like the only people I can talk to about my issues are my costars, the people who can really relate to me. Cole [Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones] is an amazing person to have on set, because he’s been doing this his whole life. I try and look at it from a fan’s perspective to understand the way they think. But there are times when I’m like, “Wow, they really have no idea that we are actual people. They can’t separate us from our characters.” You don’t have that in other professions. You don’t dissect the life of a builder and start judging the decisions he makes in his life with his wife and kids. As an actor, I will be judged on everything: my political opinions, my opinions on drugs, my opinions on the people I want to be with. Everything. It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with.
On the late Luke Perry: “Having Luke [Perry] on the show was such a blessing for me. When I was first experiencing success, Luke had a way of just quashing it and being like, “You’re only as important as the PA sitting over there.” He knew everyone’s name. Sometimes people talk about our job as this really important thing, like no one else can do it. Luke had the ability to be like, “Step on your mark. Stay in line. Go home. Show up on time. Treat people with respect.” I loved that about him.
On one side, I feel like he’s aiming for humility and graciousness, but some of his other comments just kind of defeat those attempts. “I feel like I’m in jail a lot of the time” because he… has dyed hair? Because there are constraints on what his character can and can’t do? Isn’t that just… acting? Playing a character? And the baggage of success because people associate him with a popular character on a popular show? I mean, I’m an Old. I get that every young, successful actor goes through this navel-gazing phase of thinking that they’re being imprisoned in a maze of success, popularity and money. But it’s especially tone-deaf in a pandemic and impending recession, my God.
Photos courtesy of IG, Avalon Red.
Eh, I don’t think he sounds tone deaf as much as he just sounds really young. His comments about Luke Perry were nice.
Yeah, i watched season 1 of riverdale, wonderfully soapy, and bailed after that.
Not too interested in him.
but the stuff he said about Luke Perry made me feel warm inside.
Too old for the show? I’m not their age But growing up in the 80s and 90s I read the comics so I checked it out as soon as I could. It has a comic book quality in how extreme and unrealistic everything is. I love this show though it’s silly and I thought the hate you give was based on a novel for teens plus it got bad reviews so I didn’t see that. Riverdale just jumped forward 7 years so they’re like 25 now if that helps.
I had started watching Riverdale because I loved the comics growing up, but honestly, the show is too stupid, even for me (and I LOVE stupid shit). Is he a good actor? As good as the content he is given, I guess. I’m glad he took Luke Perry’s lessons on humility seriously. Hopefully they stay with him.
Edit: Just to follow up on @KatianaD’s comment above – I watched until the age jump. That’s when it got too bonkers for me. But still very nostalgic about the comics – such a big part of my childhood
Well, as a long time fan of General Hospital, I do get what he is saying about fans really believing these actors are their characters. I didn’t realize how bad it was until Twitter came along. Honestly, people are out of their minds. It’s terrifying just for me, realizing, hey, these nuts could be in a store behind me. Imagine being the subject of their loony ire?
I know! I was going to comment how bad it is on social media. Fans (not all young fans but literal adults who should know better) can’t seem to separate actors from their roles. I vaguely recall fans were attacking a newcomer from Riverdale because they assumed she would be part of a love triangle on the show.
I have read/watched interviews with actors who have played baddies on tv shows (particularly soaps) where they talk about people being verbally and, on occasion, physically abusive. Although having an older lady hit you with her handbag because she thinks the way you treated your on-screen wife sounds funny, being the brunt of that and not knowing what someone might do must make you paranoid to go out.
It is shocking that some people can’t tell the difference between real life and a television show.
Yeah, I don’t know if soap fans are particularly bad, but they seem to be. It could be I just don’t have a good feel for other fandoms, not sure. Crazy stuff though.
KJ has a French model gf, and there was a LOT of hate towards her when they first started going out (how dare she!) His costars Cole and Lili also had a relationship for a couple years (on screen and off screen), and fans went NUTS. Like the stuff I saw online was manic. When they broke up, this dark but twee part of Instragram went mad.
The type of show Riverdale is (young adult/teen, CW, pretty cast) is a recipe to attract loony fan, a la Taylor Swift. It’s one of the reasons it’s still successful even on its 5th season as the fans are ride or die no matter how bad the storylines get.
Riverdale was notorious for making people work for extremely long hours. I think it was KJ who nearly had a crash on the way home from work one day because he was severely sleep-deprived. After that the show apparently tried to do better by its actors. But it DID sound awful.
Heard that too. He’s also no the only cast member to have complaints like that. Lili Reinhardt and Cole Sprouse had similar things to say and got met with a similar sort of meh. The actresses of color including the main on for Toni Topaz also talked about feeling very after thought-y and disposable.
Something weird is happening with the production/management on that show.
I agree. All these ‘he should be grateful to even have a job’ comments…Um WHAT? Employers should care about their employees mental well beings no matter the job. Just because they are actors doesn’t mean their employers can’t mistreat or overwork them.
He did have an actual crash, after he had worked a sixteen-hour day on set. Fortunately no one was killed. That should truly be illegal.
These CW actors always think they’re trapped on the shows they’re making and if they weren’t forced to keep acting in the show that has made them wealthy and famous they would be doing huge movies instead. AJ needs to Google the lead actors of every other CW show ever a and see how many of them are having having career he thinks he should be having right now and be a little more grateful to be employed at all.
Just to play devil’s advocate he could be a in a binding contract and not necessarily be able to get out of it right now..
Knowing Netflix, he’ll have a 6 year deal. I don’t blame him. I manage actors, and whilst a lot of the young ones in shows like this are just straight up ungrateful, they’re dealing with a very heavy filming schedule, oftentimes in environments that lack creativity, respect for mental health, and freedom. I understand what he’s feeling, but he chose this profession, and sadly until there are seismic shifts in the unions, it’ll be more of the same. He definitely needs to get out once his contract is up, otherwise he will end up in the CW graveyard sadly.
I think a lot of abuse happens on shows. Because everyone feels like actors are entitled and actors probably know they are replaceable by directors and should just feel grateful they are on a show. I was reading an article about the tv show Skins and how the actresses at 16 were forced to stand in front of the tv creator in bikinis so he could tell them if they were worthy of being able to film in Morocco. There have been enough riverdale actors that have complained that I have no doubt shit is going down.
Agree. I don’t go for this “be grateful” thing.
Just recently an actress from Game of Thrones spoke out about being waterboarded for hours for a torture scene. How the hell is this kind of stuff allowed to happen?
That was freaking insane. And she knew if she complained her career would tank.
This is the industry that hid Weinstein. Woody Allen is still making movies. That producer who broke an assistant’s hand in a fit of anger. Joss Whedon. Johnny Depp. Kevin Spacey. And still people commenting that actors should be grateful they have a job, why are they complaining, it can’t be that bad? This is how the cycle of abuse continues.
I don’t necessarily think it’s that he should be “grateful,” just mindful of the fact there are hundreds of thousands of actors from the US, UK, Australia, NZ competing for these roles. He’s also earning millions per season, so the long hours and hard work that he’s complaining about are more than compensated. Actors that step away from social media fare a lot better, and he’s in a position to do that and be smart about how he interacts with the public. It’s not impossible. Early on he would have had to succumb to the CW press machine without choice, but he’s earned the right to step back. And he could just leave. But I know his manager and they’ll just keep working him like like dog on that show, unless he leaves after he’s contractually done
His comments didn’t sound tone deaf to me. It seems like he both knows he’s lucky to be in the position he’s in, and hates the atmosphere of the production for Riverdale.
The first season of Riverdale was actually really good. A tight 13 episode murder mystery. It just got increasingly bonkers after that. But the entire cast is ridiculously GORGEOUS, kids AND parents.
I think KJ is very handsome. When I try to imagine what Archie Mountainbatten-Windsor will look like as an adult, I imagine KJ.
I don’t watch Riverdale, but what I thought he meant is that his CHARACTER is in jail a lot. From the little I’ve read about about show, his character is constantly locked up for one reason or the other, just thought I’d throw in that interpretation.
Well, I remember him being involved in a car crash a couple years ago. Apparently he was extremely sleep-deprived and fell asleep while driving back home from set. It was really scary. And he’s only 23/24, so he was even younger then.
Red hair is such an awful look on him and what Archie looks like on Riverdale is such a far cry from what KJ actually looks like, it IS probably exhausting and frustrating to be dyed and plucked and waxed and painted up just do he can look like he is “supposed to” for his job.
On the other hand though, walk a mile in the high heels, dye jobs and waxed bikini lines of women everywhere…..
I live in Vancouver. I’ve seen him at Equinox (when I was a member) and people left him alone there. Although there are fan girls everywhere, Vancouver and most of Canada is pretty chill in terms celebrity. We don’t get too impressed.
What I remember him saying, pre-COVID, is that Vancouver was boring because the night life is minimal. Well, thats because it’s an “outdoor” activities place. During the winter I have 3 local mountains 30 minutes away and Whistler/black comb 1.5 hours away. We are surrounded by sea and can go fishing 75% of the year. The beaches are beautiful, our running trails are extensive, various in terms of terrain and scenery, and very very well kept. There are changes in forestation from one region to the next. Should I go on? It’s expensive to live here if you factor in our pay, however, it really is the most beautiful city in the world.
I’m sure it’s an adjustment to spend 7-8 months filming in a foreign country while your family is in Australia. It’s also taxing to deal with bigots in fandom spaces from the moment of being cast when you’re not fully white play a white character. It may look like “navel gazing” on the outside, but if you ever dip your toe into what non-white cast members from CW shows have to deal with just from supposed fans, it might give a different perspective.
He’s from NZ, but I see your point. He does present as Caucasian though, so I’m not sure he’s had quite the same experience as darker skinned actors on the show.
Didn’t he get in a car accident from falling asleep at the wheel due to long working hours? Maybe he’s referring to stuff like that and is just too tired to be clear about it.
It doesn’t sound tone deaf at all. Sounds like your typical matinee idol burnout. Fandom can be very toxic and scary.
I was a huge fan of the show during its first season but then it it just got crazy and really weird so haven’t watched it since. His comments on luke were wonderful, I miss luke so much I’ve been a fan of him since his Dylan McKay days and was absolutely devastated when he passed on. They say the good die young and it was correct when it came to luke 💔
There are lots of hungry people who would love to have his gig.
The CW is known for exploiting its actors. After Kappa incident there were other actors who spoke up. Tom Welling said the same happened to him when working on smallville. The network did nothing until costars and directors spoke on his behalf, the network gave in and hired a driver for him.
Tom discussed this on length in Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast.